Joy of Fusing – Book Review

On a recent trip to my glass supplier, I looked for a book titled The Joy of Coldworking. This is an oxymoron to say the least. Coldworking in fused glass art usually involves expensive machines or diamond hand pads and a lot of manual labor. It is the process used to make the edges of glass pieces smooth and polished. I was hoping to find something in the book that might indeed bring some joy to coldworking. I could not find this book, but I did find a book titled Joy of Fusing.

Let me just say that I am a sucker for books. I love books. All kinds of books: cook books, travel books, craft books, art books, and computer books. I could spend hours in a book store. So it came as no surprise that I ended up buying two books; neither of which was the book I originally intended to buy.

One of the books I purchased was Joy of Fusing written by Randy & Carole Wardell. This is an excellent book for the beginning glass fuser. The first 30 pages cover all the basics in a clear concise way. The rest of the book has 27 projects that incorporate various techniques.

For the beginning glass fuser, one of the most valuable parts of this book is the section that explains how to make sample tiles complete with six firing schedules from an elevated tack to a deep fuse. Even though I have been fusing for almost 3 years and know my kiln fairly well, I plan on making a set of these sample tiles. Not only will they help me with design considerations, but they will be a great visual tool when I teach classes. Speaking of visual… one of the best parts about this book is the abundance of photographs with step by step instructions for every project.